Jötnar
Jötnar were the Giants in Nordic Mythology and they occupy the realm of Jötunheim. They were also the enemies of the Norse Gods, primarily to Odin and Thor. They made their first appearance in God of War (2018), where they were often referred to as "Giants". By the events of the game, most of the Jötnar from Jötunheim have died, with Atreus (a hybrid) and Jörmungandr being the only two known living Jötnar left. The Realm of Fire, Muspelheim, is occupied by a different variety of Jötnar commonly known as "The Fire Giants". Mimir stated that they will not appear until Ragnarök since Fire Giants, like Surtr, had only one goal: destroying Asgard come Ragnarök. Odin desires the chance to reach Jötunheim because he coveted the Giants' ability of precognition (the ability to foresee the future). Notable Jötnar * Laufey - Also known as Faye. She was the second wife of Kratos and the mother of Atreus. She dies shortly before the events of God of War, with the main plot of the game being Kratos and Atreus' journey to the highest peak in all the realms to spread her ashes. At the highest summit in all of the Nine Realms, her son and widowed husband releases her ashes into the wind. She was also responsible for the artwork discovered by Atreus in Jötunheim that depicted events of the story and future events. * Atreus - Also known as Loki (to Faye and the other Giants). He is only part-Giant, since his mother is a Giantess and his father is a demi-god. This makes him part-Giant, part-God, and part-mortal. Following his mother's death and funeral, he journeys with his father to fulfil his mother's final wish of having her ashes scattered at the summit of the highest mountain in all the Nine Realms (located in Jötunheim). During his journey, his father mentors and tests him on his readiness to survive in the harsh Nordic world. When in Jötunheim, he and his father learn that his mother was a Giantess and she foresaw all of the events in their journey to the summit. He is also a skilled combatant, specialising in bow-and-arrows (both physical and magical) and daggers. * Thamur - He was a Frost Giant who died when ambushed by Thor, a fight that ended with him landing on his own chisel. His corpse makes an appearance in God of War as an explorable location. In the final battle against Baldur, the Vanir/Æsir Goddess Freya takes control of Thamur's corpse and uses it in an attempt to prevent further bloodshed between Kratos and her son. * Hrimthur - Son of Thamur, he was taught masonry skills by his father but had the heart of a warrior. After having a fallout with his father over his battle-lust making him neglect to finish Jötunheim's walls, he learned patience after grieving his father's death. Soon after, upon noticing the Æsir's neglected fortifications, Hrimthur disguised himself as a mortal and bargained with Odin. If he could create stronger walls for the Æsir within 3 months, he can get whatever he wanted. Conversely, if he failed the Æsir would get their walls free of charge. Using his abilities as a Jötun, skills from his father, and a magical steed, he succeeded and obtained a private audience with Freya. After whispering a single phrase to her, he left but was double crossed by Odin before having a fatal encounter with Thor at the gates. Nevertheless, he didn't care anymore as he had accomplished his goal. Mimir suspects that Hrimthur had embedded some weakness into the Æsir's walls and passed this knowledge onto Freya, who had little affection for the Æsir, in preparation for their downfall at Ragnarök. * Jörmungandr - Also known as "The World Serpent". He is a non-humanoid Giant. Mimir talks to it in an "obscure tongue that is more ancient than these mountains", and is apparently rather chatty. It is temporally displaced. Trivia *The Jötnar are similar to the Titans in Greek Mythology due to their strong dislike of the Gods of their world (with an exception to the Nordic God of War, Tyr). **Unlike the Titans, however, the Jötnar were never imprisoned by the Gods. Rather, they hid any access to their realm with the help of Tyr. Furthermore, the Jötnar were peaceful creatures whereas the Titans were violent. * Despite being known as giants, not all Jötnar were giant. They've been described as being the size of humans or literal giants. The same goes for dwarves, who are not always small in stature. ** Jötnar were also not all frost giants like some modern media makes out to be. There were many types of other Jötnar including mountain giants (bergrisar) and fire giants (eldjötnar). Category:God of War (2018) Category:Species Category:Norse Mythology Category:Norse Monsters